Review: The Harvey Girls

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

A quick overview of who the Harvey Girls really were --- " The Harvey Girls were young, single women employed as waitresses in Fred Harvey's restaurants and hotels along the Santa Fe Railway in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They played a significant role in opening the American West, providing service, and contributing to the development of communities along the railway. "

This was a fast read that, although it to be a typical women-helping-women, daughter-helping-family, romance-based novel. However, this book was so much more than that!

I had just finished a book that dealt with the government's relocation of families from the Blue Ridge Mountains to make way for a National Park, and this book deals with the US government relocating indigenous people to make way for the Grand Canyon National Park.

The characters were well drawn, and it was easy for me to become lost in their problems. Billie and Charlotte's stories were poignant without being sob stories. Learning about the Harvey Girls was fascinating. All of this combined (especially with the history of the Grand Canyon) makes this a superlative read for book clubs. I really enjoyed this novel.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Simon & Schuster | Gallery Books, the author, and NetGalley.


View all my reviews

DESCRIPTION: "Juliette Fay—known for her “well-drawn characters and vibrant historical backdrops” (Library Journal)—transports us to 1920s America with this big-hearted tale of two very different women who must learn to trust each other as one tries to save her family and the other to save herself. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Kristina McMorris.

1926: Charlotte Crowninshield was born into one of the finest Boston society families. Now she’s on the run from a brutal husband, desperate to disappear into the wilds of the Southwest. Billie MacTavish is the oldest of nine children born to Scottish immigrants in Nebraska. She quit school in the sixth grade to help with her mother’s washing and mending business, but even that isn’t enough to keep the family afloat.

Desperate, both women join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve in America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad. Hired on the same day, they share three things: a room, a heartfelt dislike of each other…and each has a secret that will certainly get them fired.

Through twelve-hour days of training in Topeka, Kansas, they learn the fine art of service, perfecting their skills despite bouts of homesickness, fear of being discovered, and a run-in with the KKK. When they’re sent to work at the luxurious El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon, the challenges only grow, as Billie struggles to hide her young age from would-be suitors, and Charlotte discovers the little-known dark side of the national park’s history.

“Juliette Fay’s gift for creating complex, exquisitely human characters” (Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling author) is on full display in this deeply moving and joyous celebration of female empowerment, loyalty, and friendship."